Create a short story with your friends this summer
by having a STORY PARTY!

Here's what you do!

Writing the Stories:
  1. Print these instructions.
  2. Invite lots of Kids!
  3. You will need paper. It can be scratch paper, colored, whatever you can find. Each person needs 1/2 the number of pieces of paper as there are participants. That means if there are 10 people, each person need 5 pieces of paper. If there is an odd number of people, add 1, then take 1/2 of that number. For example, 5 people, adding one brings it to 6, then 1/2 the paper means 3 pieces.
  4. When you get your pieces of paper, cut each sheet in half and staple or paperclip the pieces together...so that you have a little book.
  5. Each person starts out with their own blank book and pen/pencil. If each person can have a different color of pen that would be great, but not necessary.
  6. Set a timer for 10 minutes.
  7. At the start of the timer, each participant starts writing a story. It can be ANYTHING! The person who starts it, gets to create the setting, the characters, or anything else they can think of. Be creative! There is no wrong way to do this! If 10 minutes is too much time or too little time, adjust it to your liking.
  8. When the ten minutes are up, STOP WRITING. Even if in the middle of a sentence, STOP.
  9. Now, everyone, pass their book to the person on their right.
  10. Give everyone a couple of minutes to read the start of the story they have in front of them and set the timer again for 10 minutes.
  11. Once everyone is finished reading, start the timer, go to the next blank page and start writing. This time they start where the last person finished, but on the next (blank) page. They get to continue the story that was already started by someone else, but can add new characters, a new twist or turn, or put them in a new setting...whatever! No limits, just have fun! Make it funny if you want, or sci-fi, just whatever!
  12. Once the 10 minutes is up, STOP WRITING again.
  13. Now pass the books to the person on the right again.
  14. This time, only take time to read the last page that was written. (Don't take time to read the whole story)
  15. Now, set the timer for 10 minutes again and start writing, on the next blank page!
  16. Do this as many times as there are people. Each person should have a blank page to write on in each book that is passed to them.
  17. When the book that each person started gets to the person on their left, make that the finishing 10 minutes. That means that the story they started, gets finished by the person on their left. (FYI-You should be on the last page of the book, or if there was an odd number of participants, the next to the last.) By the time this is finished, each person should have had the opportunity to write a different portion of each story from beginning to end.
  18. When finished, pass the stories once more to the right; each person should now have the story they started off with. If you don't want to illustrate your stories, go to number 24.

    Illustrating the stories:

  19. If you liked this activity and would like to illustrate or draw pictures to match each of the pages, start off by passing the book you started to the right. Each person should not have the book they started. The idea is to have a different person draw a picture to each page of the story.
  20. Now give yourselves 10 minutes on the timer, turn to the 1st page and start drawing.
  21. When the 10 minutes is up, STOP.
  22. Pass the book to the right, just like the writing exercise, now, set the timer for 10 minutes again and draw the 2nd picture.
  23. You get the idea, keep passing the books to the right until each page of the story has a picture to go along with it. Each participant should end up drawing the last picture in the book that they wrote the beginning of the story.
  24. Now, everyone give a big round of applause for a job well done! Each person take a turn reading the story and showing the pictures of the book that they started. Enjoy observing how diverse the writing and drawing styles are and the creativity each brings into the story. This is so much FUN!

    PlanetGiggle.com Gift Ideas

    If you like to write stories or know an aspiring young writer, we have the perfect gift for her/him. It is called our Writer's Dream Box. It includes fun gel pens, calligraphy pens, parchment paper, a blank book for them to write in as well as some other goodies. If you would like to take a look at it, click on this link and it will take you to our GearUP (product) page.

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